• The University of Sheffield has been named as one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK by The Sunday Times
• Sheffield is the only university to be included in the list
• The University has also been honoured with the Wellbeing Special Award for positively improving employees' health

The University of Sheffield has been named as one of the best places to work in the UK, according to a leading workplace happiness ranking published by the Sunday Times.

Sheffield is the only university to be included in the list and has also been honoured with the Wellbeing Special Award, in recognition of its creative approach to positively improving all aspects of employees' health.

Staff from the Department of Geography teaching students on a fieldtrip to California
The Sunday Times Best 100 Companies is an annual ranking of Britain's happiest and most motivated workforces. Its publication each year is now a highly anticipated event in the UK's business calendar.

The University has been placed at number 32 in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2016. It has also been awarded a two-star accreditation for outstanding employee engagement.

The accolade recognises the University as a remarkable place to work where the brightest and most inspiring minds can achieve their ambitions and change the world. It also underlines the outstanding contribution that its staff make to the University's position as one of the top 100 universities in the world, renowned for excellence, impact and distinctiveness of its research-led learning and teaching.

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: "I am delighted that the University has been recognised in this way, however a university is only as strong as the staff who teach students, carry out research, and who support vital work from running our libraries and laboratories to student accommodation and IT provision.

"It is our dedicated and talented staff from around the world who make this institution a place of high educational standards and an excellent place to work, and for that I am very grateful to them all."

During the past 12 months, Sheffield scientists were part of a global research group which opened a new window to the universe with the detection of gravitational waves, helped global leaders unite and agree actions to combat climate change and developed revolutionary therapies to treat breast cancer.

Engineers from the University are designing a pioneering device to help protect aircraft from bombs and have been appointed by the government to build small modular reactors to power the UK's industrial future.

Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing is training the next generation of world-class engineers through degree-level apprenticeships and is collaborating with some of the world's leading businesses, both at home and abroad, to help them revolutionise their high value manufacturing processes.

Social scientists at Sheffield played a key role in helping the British public engage with politics ahead of last year's General Election, launched a campaign to improve the safety of journalists around the world, and are challenging the government to rebalance the UK's economy.

Staff from the University's Faculty of Arts and Humanities have uncovered new insights into life in Britain during the Bronze Age, re-discovered lost Broadway musicals that haven't been heard anywhere in the world for almost 60 years, and collaborated with colleagues in chemistry to create a poem which can clean the air that we breathe in our towns and cities.

Andrew Dodman, Director of Human Resources at the University of Sheffield, added: "This ranking by The Sunday Times shows that the University of Sheffield is one of the best places to work in the UK and is an organisation where talented staff from all over the world are given a platform to succeed and become leaders in their fields.

"We have worked hard to create an environment in which staff can pursue the extraordinary in a creative and diverse workplace. The city of Sheffield has also contributed to this ranking by being such a great place to live. It's friendly, vibrant, modern and fun, which provides the perfect setting for one of the world's best universities with a talented workforce."

The University has also recently been named as one of the country's best employers for workplace equality by the leading LGBT charity Stonewall - the third time in a row that the institution has featured in the charity's Top 100 Employers list.

The University has also refreshed its wellbeing initiative for staff - Juice - which provides a range of stimulating mental and physical activities, encouraging and inspiring all staff to look after their wellbeing.

This new accolade from The Sunday Times follows a recent all staff survey where 94 per cent of staff respondents at the University stated they feel proud to work for the organisation.

The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2016 is published in the Sunday Times on 28 February 2016.